Cardano Foundation and Distributed Futures research report: Smart Ledgers & Pensions

[maki.mukai]

Last year, Cardano Foundation selected London-based think tank Z/Yen Distributed Futures as a research partner to investigate blockchain applications. This sponsored, open-source research program on Smart Ledgers and new technologies will not only help the development of the Cardano protocol but also help shape and influence the wider blockchain industry. The program is structured around the themes of society, technology, economic and politics and has four direct outcomes to expand frontiers, change systems, deliver services and build communities. The overarching aim is to work with many stakeholders to learn and build the vital infrastructure needed to make Smart Ledgers a success.

Some of the reports that have come out of this research program cover topics such as:
The Economic Impact Of Smart Ledgers On World Trade
The Quantum Countdown: Quantum Computing And The Future Of Smart Ledger Encryption
Timestamping Smart Ledgers - Comparable, Universal, Traceable, Immune
The full list of publications can be found here.

Released today, the latest report is entitled “Smart Ledgers & Collective Defined Contribution Pensions”. This paper provides an overview of how and where Smart Ledgers could be used in pensions, and in particular how pension schemes could be administered using such technologies.

At the launch event, Professor Michael Mainelli from Z/Yen began by introducing the paper and providing background into the current issues observed with pensions. Michael was followed by Dr. Con Keating, David McKee and Iain Clacher, who gave insight into the findings of their paper. Their research found that if collective defined contribution (CDC) pensions were to implement smart contracts, it would address issues such as over-consumption problems or intergenerational inequity while ensuring consistent, low-cost administration. Furthermore, smart ledgers support transparency around decisions, costs and entitlements, and allow for better implementation of collective savings schemes, which will result in superior member outcomes.

Read the full report here.

[valensny]

This is fantastic-I am going to keep building my ADA portfolio.

[magnetar]

Can this work for social security too ? On it’s current trajectory it will be doomed when the retiree population exceeds the working population.

[Eystein_Hansen]

Love this. I am actually interested in doing this type of research myself, I have a fairly varied background with two master degrees in psychology and law and I think there is a lot of possibilities both in mental health and in governance fields for future applications. More automation of pensions is one such subset of possibilities. I also see that quite many are researching how to store medical records in ledgers and how it can both help privacy concerns, ease information flow, and assist in research and machine learning. The future is bright!